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Fascinating Floating Markets in Asia

One of the best places to get a real sense of a town’s culture and life is in its most crowded markets. Here people are genuine and chatty, usually willingly giving you interesting insights into the legends, beliefs and interests of the locals. All you have to do is find the right people and ask them a few questions. The stories may not always be fascinating, but the experience itself can be very rewarding, because understanding new cultures is deeply enriching.

Today we invite you to discover a few unique market places where you can start your journey of knowledge and understanding. We’ve only chosen floating markets for this article, because they are even more special than regular ones, and because we believe you’ll find them very interesting. After all, it’s not every day that you can go grocery shopping by boat.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Ratchaburi, Thailand

The Damnoen Saduak district is located in central Thailand and its central town is most famous for its floating market. The place has been attracting numerous tourists for many years, which is not always a good thing. In this case, the high number of visitors has altered the original character of the market, transforming it into a more commercial and less authentic place.

Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Dal Lake is a popular tourist attraction in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Jammu and Kashmir state in India. With scenic views and excellent opportunities for fun water sports, the lake can be a very exciting destination indeed. But there is also another thing that attracts visitors to this place, and that is its famous floating vegetable market. With no permanent shops, the lake still makes an excellent spot for numerous vendors to do business every day.

Nam Pan Market, Inle Lake, Myanmar

You can’t think of shopping centers, supermarkets or malls when you go to places like Inle Lake. The fascinating villages that exist around it have a more interesting way of selling and buying things: they each have busy floating markets. Sellers fill their boats with merchandise and head onto the water, conducting their business from there. The high number of boats can create traffic problems, but you shouldn’t let that spoil your experience.

Bangkok Floating Market, Bangkok, Thailand

There is a large number of interesting markets in Bangkok, including a few floating ones like the Taling Chan and Wat Sai markets. The principle is always the same, no matter where you go: vendors take their merchandise out on busy canals and sell their goods straight from the boats. While this may be a mundane experience for locals, it is always exciting and interesting for visitors.

Mekong Delta Floating Markets, Vietnam

Mekong Delta is a wonderful place to visit for many different reasons. One of them is obviously the busy floating markets, where locals show up with boats filled with goodies and hope to leave with empty boats and full pockets. The markets are so famous that many delta tours also include them in the itineraries, so all you need to do is pick your favorite tour and enjoy every bit of it.